Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
15 February 2017 08:38
Safety advice has been offered to winter sports fans
The collaborative #SkiSafe campaign has been relaunched in a bid to raise safety awareness among winter sports enthusiasts.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Ski Club GB are providing tools to help everyone stay safe on the slopes, including a #SkiSafe checklist, insurance guidelines and top safety tips from British Winter Olympian Graham Bell.
Be piste-aware
Slopes are classified in terms of difficulty, but conditions on the pistes can vary throughout the day and the #SkiSafe campaign warns that it's important even the most avid skiers are familiar with the routes and conditions.
"Piste conditions change during the day; what was a cruising blue run mid-morning could be difficult, and more like a challenging red run, by 4pm," the FCO warns.
The campaign collaboration also highlights that there has been an increase in the number of winter sports fans shunning the main runs in pursuit of more challenging off-piste routes.
But skiers and snowboarders should not go off-piste without being fully prepared, as the Government website advises: "You should make sure you take and are able to use competently the appropriate equipment - an avalanche transceiver, a probe pole and a shovel."
Expert tips
Graham Bell is a former Olympic skier and now campaigns to raise awareness of staying safe on the slopes.
His #SkiSafe tips include being physically fit before taking a trip, using the right equipment and helmet, and making "sure your insurance policy covers all of the winter sports activities that you are planning to do".
Medical costs and returning to the UK unexpectedly can be very expensive, the FCO cautions.
Anyone planning on hitting the slopes can take out specialist winter sports travel insurance to protect against unexpected costs.
20 October 2017
Women are more likely to have a successful natural birth while lay on their side rather than stood upright, a study of more than 3,000 first-time mothers has found.
[more...]
19 October 2017
The onset of winter and a reduction in daylight hours are leading experts to issue advice to sufferers of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
18 October 2017
Overweight patients should be referred to slimming groups by their GPs to ward off type 2 diabetes, new study findings suggest.
14 October 2017
Officials are hoping a new airport on the remote island of St Helena will boost tourism, after spending £285,000 of taxpayer money on the airport's development.
06 October 2017
Organ donation could soon be "opt out" following a consultation on "presumed consent", the Department of Health has confirmed.
17 October 2017
Almost 85,000 holidaymakers have been flown home as part of the large-scale repatriation scheme in the wake of Monarch's collapse.
13 October 2017
A top doctor is urging the Government to support GPs as they struggle with time and resources to tackle "chronic" loneliness in older people.
12 October 2017
Millions of pounds spent on junk food advertising is prompting NHS obesity costs to soar into the billions, a health coalition warns.
11 October 2017
An adventurer from Gloucester is planning on conquering a nationwide run across America - dressed as superhero Adventureman.
10 October 2017
Animals are successfully being used to treat Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at a Manchester hospital.
07 October 2017
Eating tropical fruit such as banana and avocado can ward off heart disease, a new study suggests.
05 October 2017
Just one hour of exercise each week can help keep depression at bay, a long-term study has found.